As the 2024 soccer season wraps up, second-year coach Noah Riskind is optimistic that his squad, the SMCC Seawolves, will end with a great season and finally get over their recent slump to defeat their arch rivals, the CMCC Loggers, after their loss on September 15th. 

The Beacon spoke with coach Riskind, asking what kind of preparations were being made to play against CMCC. He responded with: “A lot of what we have been working on is attacking-play and movement”. Riskind had played collegiate soccer at Bates college for 4 years; within those years he was a captain for two seasons and received a first captains award as well as Bates’ George L. Wigton Scholarship Award. Riskind then went to Boston University to complete his masters degree in 2018. He also played in the 2015 northeast division champion Portland Phoenix PDL team.

 The team has had 10 in-season games, standing at a 5-5 record. There are 26 players on the roster, 16 of which are new to the program, and 5 of which are international. The team’s current and only captain is returning player Will Perry; coach Riskind says he will “probably end up adding a second captain later on in the season.” Perry takes his role as captain seriously both on and off the field. There are many captains who just want to play the game instead of going over logistics. “I try and have lots of positive reinforcement for my teammates so that they have a more positive attitude and outlook on their play,” says Perry, who uses field communication and post-play conversation to understand what needs to change on the pitch. Heightened emotions and adrenaline of the sport can overwhelm players easily, but Perry is determined to keep them away from a negative headspace. “I try my best and check in with the guys on how school is going and stuff with their everyday life to keep them in a positive mood or even to see if I can change a negative mood to a better one.” Perry’s goals for the season are “more for the team than myself. I would really like to see us win the conference title because I think the program truly deserves one.” Perry’s goals for the season are “more for the team than myself. I would really like to see us win the conference title because I think the program truly deserves one. 

 The team has 5 games left before the YSCC final-4. While it’s difficult to predict where the team will stand in the conference, SMCC students and fans hope for the best, crossing their fingers that the Seawolves will come out on top and beat our CMCC rivals.